The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) has merged the services of the ice arena, curling rink and recreational programs, effectively expanding the affected taxation base.
At the Jan. 14
CRD meeting, the board adopted a bylaw for a new
South Cariboo Recreation Service with extended taxation boundaries.
District of 100 Mile House councillors had voted unanimously in favour of the change back in November.
Participating communities include portions of Electoral Areas G, H and L,
and 100 Mile House in its entirety, and will take effect this year.
This means the CRD will be collecting taxes for the curling rink and recreation and cultural programming in a larger taxation boundary previously used solely for the arena.
Area L Director Bruce Rattray says the change to combine the taxation boundaries into one function with one budget is a “logical” move.
“We really should be dealing with recreation as a complete package, not as individual pieces, and this is a way of taking a step in that direction.
“There are some efficiencies that are gained in just trying to manage the money for the budgets.”
The functions that supported the curling rink, the arena and the programming previously had separate budgets and administration with different taxation boundaries, because they were established at various times.
Therefore money could not flow between them for administrative purposes, which made it complicated to deliver and manage the recreation services.
Now, some residents, who weren’t part of the curling rink and programming area before, will be taxed as part of the merged service area, as those boundaries covered a smaller area than the new taxation boundary.
However, property owners whose land was not located within the previous curling rink tax boundaries, which also encompassed the programming services area, will find their taxes go up slightly this year.
Those who already paid for the curling rink service in previous years will see a slight reduction in taxes, due to the larger taxation base.
Anyone outside the previous arena taxation boundary won’t be affected, as it matches the new combined recreation service boundary.
Depending on assessed value of the property, earlier CRD studies showed the increase is anticipated to be around $6 or $7 per $100,000.
“It is a small increase because the curling rink and the programs function, which are now being rolled in, are the smallest of the three functions in terms of dollar value,” Rattray says, adding taxes associated with these functions will now be even lower.
Among others, the approximate areas added to the new taxation boundary include extended portions of Forest Grove west to Buffalo Creek Road by Drewry Lake Road, north to about the community centre, and south to near the end of Houseman Road.
The new extended boundary also spans roughly from Horse Lake close to Sven Road, south to cross Fawn Creek Road about halfway out, passing south over Highway 24 and down to Nasby
Road, and encompasses virtually all of Lone Butte.
